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On the first tune of Dwele's new album, W.ants W.orld W.omen, the performer utters, "I wish I made music that appealed to the masses/ Instead of writing lyrics that requires poetic classes, yeah." It appears that, after four sophisticated full-length...

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There is a great tradition of getting a little on the side within soul and R&B, so when we saw this show advertised as "Black Joe Lewis & the Relatives" for the longest time, we thought the Austin shouter was stepping out on our beloved Honeybears. T...

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Leave it to Rudz booker Mike Sims to throw together an excellent mish-mash lineup for the Montrose institution's 32nd anniversary show. The evening begins with quirky songbird Teresa Kolo, who has been slowly moving toward completion of her next albu...

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Often, musicians doing multiple phone interviews from a hotel room or publicist's office will try to open the door with journalists by throwing out some fond memory of said city, whether it's actually true or not.
But not Meat Loaf. You see, he wa...

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The Hot Dog Shop (6405 Brittmoore), a restaurant/sports bar out in the northwest Houston wilderness near Beltway 8, has existed for 25 years. It's been a teeming suburban punk/rockabilly/ska venue for a considerably shorter period.
Normally, this ...

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Tonight at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, the Jane Carrey Band pulls into town to open up for Mat Kearney. The daughter of comedy titan Jim Carrey and his first wife Melissa Womer, Ms. Carrey's band falls somewhere in between Rilo Kiley and Carole King, wit...

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Katy Perry Finds Musicianship Depressing: Katy Perry, primarily known for her amazingly sexy body and, oh, probably some other stuff too, was interviewed recently about her time with an independent record label early in her career.
"That was the mos...

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The live footage from Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones was culled from concerts here in Houston, where the band did two shows at Hofheinz Pavilion, and Fort Worth in June 1972. The set lists from this tour didn't include "Rocks Off." Sad face...

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You may not agree with all or any of Rocks Off's choices, but as usual, we don't care. No, come on, don't get mad, baby, we're just messing with you. Leave your own suggestions in the comments.
AC/DC
What they're like when you're sober: Fi...

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Black Flag makes a perfect soundtrack for stealing cigarettes and spray paint, says The Burden's Ryan Taylor (far right).
Next Thursday is Rocks Off's maiden voyage of Redux-ion, a night we created for local bands to pay homage to some of their bi...

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Musicans, like the criminals of Gotham City, are a cowardly, superstitious lot. Many of them have little rituals that, if not followed exactly, will spell doom for a concert or recoding sessions. We never went on stage without a red bandana tied arou...

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Thursday's unanimous winner Phranchyze advances to the national Red Bull EmSee finals in Detroit.
Outside on Westheimer, a small crowd of young music lovers has gathered in front of Numbers. Before Rocks Off even makes our way into the building, w...

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Fat Tony accepts his third consecutive Best Underground Hip-Hop award at Wednesday's HPMAs.
"Dubious."
That was the text that we received when they announced the winner for the Best Latin Hip-Hop category Wednesday night at the Houston Press Mus...

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Cyndi Lauper
House of Blues
August 12, 2010
See a slideshow of Cyndi Lauper's performance at the House of Blues last night.
Hoping Cyndi Lauper might tackle Lightnin' Hopkins Thursday night proved a little much, but lady can sing the blues. Perhaps...

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Every day Rocks Off trolls the tubes of you in search of videos to share. If you have something that you think deserves to be video of the day, send a link to jef_rouner at yahoo dot com.
If you have the kind of job where you can play fla...

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Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com.
Coast
Thinking Out Loud Vol. 2 (Epsom Ent./Street S...

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Christine Dauzat is not a filmmaker, television producer or musician. She's a realtor.
Dauzat does, however, have a lot of musician friends. One day she woke up and asked herself, "How can I help those people?" The result is a heartfelt and stellar ...

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Starting tonight House Of Blues hosts both artists, with Lauper headlining the music hall tonight and Benatar playing with her band Friday. Friday afternoon at HOB's Houston Pavilions neighbor Books-A-Million, Benatar will be signing her brand-new au...

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Self-proclaimed "spaceship jazz" group Drop Trio hit the Houston music scene with a bang in 2002. After a trio of well-received albums and a slew of live shows, the band's members - keyboardist Ian Varley, bassist Patrick Flanagan, and drummer Mike "...